Liars Garden

Chapter 12

It wasn't till Thursday, the day before my birthday, that mom got the call from the school that Leslie hadn't been there in a few days. I had woken up late and had gotten to school by second period, missing my chance to call her in. There had been a faint hope that she just wouldn't get the call. Or check her messages.

She slammed open the door an hour after Chris got home from school. We watched the heavy front door bang against the wall and bounce back before she slammed it shut. Chris grabbed his books, shoved them into his backpack, grabbed the bags strap, and ran at full speed into his room like his ass was one fire.

"Where is she?" Mom yelled at me. She smacked her purse hard against the wooden table top. I swear I heard something break inside.

"I don't know," I answered truthfully. I should have lied. Mom's face went an ugly shade of purple. I never saw the hand that backhanded me across the cheek. I held my face, feeling the pain, but not quite sure how it happened.

"Don't lie to me! Where did she go?" Mom was not having it. She raised her hand again but didn't strike. "That little brat better not have..." She turned away from me and tore into her room. I heard things being slammed and pushed around.

"Oh please no..." I muttered, hoping Leslie didn't do what I thought she did.

"That little bitch!"

Oh no.

Mom came storming back into the kitchen, her face now a deep shade of red. She whipped her phone out and hit speed dial. Within a few moments the theme song to The Simpsons started playing by the back door. Leslie's phone was still there, hooked into the wall by it's charger. Right where she left it last. Mom grabbed it and threw it straight at the floor.

"How dare she! After all I have done for her. You know the school called me? Again? You know how bad that makes me look? All of us look? She's making us look like a laughing stock." Mom grabbed a chair and sank into it, tears starting to prickle her perfectly lined eyes.

"I bet she will come back soon," I tried to console.

Mom shook her head. "She stole nearly two grand out of my box. That little bitch. I can't believe her. After everything."

Fuck. I didn't realize Leslie had taken that much money. Fuck. Fuck...

"She better keep her god damn mouth shut," mom said as she grabbed her phone again and started texting someone. "What am I supposed to fucking do? Pretend she is still here?"

"Call the cops?" it was Chris's voice. We both look up and saw him standing at the entrance of the kitchen. "Maybe they can find her and bring her back?"

"Oh, honey," moms tone changed. She became more gentle, almost caring. It sounded sweet as sugar. "I don't want to get Leslie in trouble like that. No, it will be fine. Go on back to your room. She will probably be home for Annie's birthday tomorrow."

Chris gave mom a look, one that told me he didn't believe anything coming out of her mouth, before he glanced at me. He mouthed, "I tried," to me before slinking away.

"See, she has gone and upset Christopher!" Mom slammed her hand down on the table. It made a weird metallic noise because of how many rings she had on. "I swear, I could kill that girl sometimes."

I flinched.

"You wouldn't leave like that, would you?"

The question caught me off guard.

"What? No!" My traitor of a brain thought of the bank card I had ordered. I told myself I wasn't getting it to leave. It was for when I started working after graduation. Nothing more.

Nothing more, right?

"Because if you leave..." Mom glanced toward the back door.

I gritted my teeth.

"I wasn't planning on going anywhere," I reassured her.

Mom shook her head and stood up. "Cause if you left then I would get the cops involved. I couldn't have both of you guys running around. How can I trust you if you just up and leave? Would you steal from me too?" She glared at me like I already did it.

"Mom, don't be crazy." Did I sound casual or strained?

"I'm not kidding, Annie. I can't have you two spreading lies about me," mom said as if she never heard me. "Or your dad. You know, he left for a younger woman."

"Yes he did." I looked away.

Mom, as if satisfied with her ramblings smoothed out the front of her shirt and straightened her bleached curls. "I swear, that Leslie. Well, if anyone asks we caught her doing drugs and we sent her off to live with grandma."

It surprised me the way mom could come up with these things on the spot.

It was an accident.

She's at grandmas.

"And when she comes back, we will take care of that then," mom continued.

I nodded in agreement. I had so much tension in my neck that it felt like it wanted to snap. Mom stood from her chair and went to put her shoes at the front door. She even slammed her bedroom door open when she went back in there. Once she disappeared I let out abreath.

That wasn't as bad as I thought it was going to be. I started to stand up from the table.

"Oh Annie," mom said as she came back into the room.

I dropped back down in the chair.

"Your birthday is tomorrow," she stated. "Don't think because you're eighteen you get to walk out of here just like your sister. No one would ever believe Leslie, anyway. Tell me you aren't leaving, Annie."

"I'm not leaving," I instantly said.

Mom didn't look like she believed me. Not one bit.

Oh please believe me.

"Go to your room."

Stunned, I stood and did what I was told. Mom followed me up the stairs. She barely looked at the gash in the banister. She never once talked about that. Or the tile below that was a slightly off color from the rest of the surrounding tiles. Or the fact we had to repaint the wall leading up the stairs because dads flailing body had left marks all the way down.

She never talked about the stain under my bed.

When I got to my room I shut her out. I sat on my bed, my heart beating hard against my chest. There was silence and then a scrapping noise outside my door. I remained on my bed for a good ten minutes before I heard her go back down the stairs. Another twenty minutes went by before I walked to my door. I tried the knob. It turned but the door wouldn't open. Something was keeping it shut from the otherside.

My stomach hit my ankles.

I frantically tried to open the door again and again. It never moved. Not even a little bit. I sank down besides it, hoping she couldn't hear me.

"Fuck."

Tears threatened to spill down my face but I sucked them back in. No. She was just throwing a fit. Mom has done this before. Years and years ago, before the thing with dad happened, they used to fight a lot. Sometimes, when dad threatened to go, mom would lock us all in her room, telling us she was too scared he'd take us away with him.

She was just scared I would leave.

Once she calmed down she would let me out.

She will.